They've been paid loads to promote NS&I:
*yawn* what a boring advert. But let's face it, savings and investments aren't really that exciting.
You've got to admit though, what better way to endorse your product than to get Bob Geldof, Germaine Greer, Stephen Hawking and and good ol' Alan Sugar to give you the thumbs up?
The only shame is that those four have possibly lost a smidgen of credibility along the way...
Ok so there is a reason for the launch of my 'city vs suburbs' poll - which, by the way, has only been taken by one person. And it doesn't even really count because that person was me. Boo.
The reason being: I am moving to the suburbs!
Well not really, but my new job means I'll be going there every day. At the moment I live in on the edges of the London - not quite green enough to describe it as the 'leafy 'burbs', and not really exciting enough to call it the 'buzzing city'. A city/suburb limbo seems to fit the bill more correctly.
Anyway, all this tube rage has started to get a bit much. So I thought it's time to try out road rage. Yep, as of next month I will be driving through pleasant scenery (OK, the A30) to get to my new job.
At least now my rage can be contained inside my car, instead of just inside me. Hooray!
Ok time for a new poll. You were all very helpful in deciding who was more annoying, Kerry Katona or the Smug Car Giant man. But if you thought that was difficult...I've got a new one for you.
Where would you rather live:
the buzzing city
or green suburbia?
City life is fun, there's always something to do - bars, clubs, theatres, galleries, restuarants, museums. But what about the leafy suburbs? They have their plus points too - more space, less noise, friendlier people, cleaner air, cheaper cost of living. And I hear they have restaurants and bars too?!
My ideal is to live out of London, but still close enough to hop on a train. What do you think? Take the poll!
I think this StickGirl in the city is being converted to the surburbs...
Sex and the City THE MOVIE (eeee!) was released in cinemas on Wednesday. That was four days ago. And I still haven't seen it yet. BOO.
There is a reason. This coming Thursday I'm going to a special screening, packed with red carpet, discount cosmos and even the paps (this is supposed to be a selling point).
It's all in aid of Refuge, the national charity for women and children experiencing domestic violence (thanks to Accidental Scientist for the tip).
I'm sure it will be well worth the wait! The shoes, the cocktails, the outfits, the glamour...and who would have thought Kim Cattrall is in her 50s?! Amazing.
Plus, I want to see if the closing line beats the one in the final episode of season 6:
"...the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous"
We love the cheese.
I recently finished reading Everything Changes by Jonathan Tropper. Thumbs up. Overall a pretty good book that gets you thinking, but also provides some light reading.
I've read a LOT of chick lit - who doesn't love a bit of Marian Keyes every now and then?! So it was interesting to read a similar kind of book written about a man, by a man. I was really looking forward to getting a man's perspective on relationships for a change. And I think I did get that.
But.
The only thing that let's the novel down are the female characters. There are four in total:
1. Hope: The ideal woman
Perfect body. Has all the feminine charms. Great in bed. Good dresser. Something nice to bring home to the parents and make a home with.
2. Tamarra: The damsel in distress
Vulnerable due to unforseen circumstances, but quietly strong. Sensitive, caring and gets inside your head because she really knows you. Needs protection. Sexy.
3. Lela: The mom (yeah, it's American...)
Strong and compassionate. Selfless and loving. Will do anything for her kids. Knows how to pack snacks for a long car ride.
4. Delia: The stripper
Nice rack.
But saying that, I'm sure the types of male characters that feature in chick lit novels aren't too much different. Besides let's face it, how much do we even really know about the opposite sex?!
All in all, a good read.
Wowzer! Did you just see the Honda TV ad just now on Channel 4? Abso-bloody-lutely fantastic!
I read about it in the Metro this morning, but all it featured was a column advert stating something along the lines of 'Tonight. Channel 4 at 8pm. Difficult is worth doing'. So I was intrigued, but had long forgotten about it come five past eight.
Then lo and behold, I'm in the middle of watching Come Dine With Me (love it!) when a bunch of red jumpsuited people fell out of a plane in Spain and spelt out the letters H O N D A respectively as they plummeted back down to ground level. And it was all live!
A massive risk take there, but as Honda says, difficult really is worth doing. The ad isn't available on YouTube yet, but I'm sure it will be soon! If not you can apparently watch it again on the Honda website - if it hasn't crashed yet.
Genius! Well done Honda.
Has it really been over a month? Eek. I've been neglecting my blog a bit lately - life just suddenly sped up and got super busy over the last month or so.
But I'm back after a week long hol to Sardinia. Ah yes, sunny Sardinia...sunny my ass. It poured down with rain for the first three days - and having packed my suitcase full of floaty tops and dresses, this did not bode well. My sheer determination and will that it WOULD STOP RAINING ANY MINUTE NOW also meant that I didn't buy an umbrella during those three days. Fun times.
Still had a good time though - I'd pick Sardinian rain over London rain any day. And when the sun finally did come out for the end half of our holiday, it was even better.
I am a little bit concerned.
I've just read The Accidental Scientist's post about a father and daughter in Australia who have just gone public about their relationship and have a 9 month old healthy baby together (full story on The Guardian). Yep, sick and wrong wrong wrong.
But there's something else that's worrying me. After collecting myself and recovering from the shock and uncontrollable cringing, I realised something far more alarming. I was more shocked by this story than the one about the pregnant man! Does that mean I think incest is more unacceptable than a man being pregnant?!
Clearly both stories are socially unacceptable at this point in time - but why was I less gobsmacked by a man carrying a baby? Surely a man and a woman conceiving a child (even if they are father and daughter) is more natural, and hence a smidge more tolerable? Maybe it's because the pregnant man was once a woman, but never fully got rid of his (her?) female reproductive organs. So 'his' pregnancy is not entirely as unnatural as we might have originally thought - he has a uterus!
Look!
(Pregnant man on Oprah)
The pregnant man who used to be a woman is also married to a woman. But they're not a lesbian couple as the transexual man is legally recognised as a male. Ah my head hurts.
So you see, I should be more shocked by this story. Shouldn't I?
But I'm not. A father and a daughter having a baby together still disturbs me more. Maybe it's because a few years ago, gay and lesbian couples getting married, having babies, changing sex etc were no where near as socially acceptable as they are now. And like The Accidental Scientist says, maybe incestuous relationships are heading in this direction too? They're just not there yet.
I just got a call from one of the banks I have an account with. A sales call. I think a Monday evening is probably the worst time to make a sales call. Not only are you pissed off that it's Monday and that you barely blinked and the weekend's over - it's also the furthest day away from Friday (Saturdays and Sundays don't really count).
And although a certain part of you feels sorry for telesales people having to meet their targets and get ranted at by annoyed customers who've already received 9 sales calls so far that day - that part of you just isn't that big.
Especially when, like today, the salesperson tells you that due to your being a loyal customer, you are being rewarded with the chance to apply for a new Mastercard credit card. Yes, rewarded!!!
Thank you big greedy bank for giving me the chance to let you take more money from me. No really, thank you.
If you're a Londoner, you've probably noticed these friendly faces dotted around the Underground:
Aren't they cheery.
These characters are part of TFL's 'Together for London' campaign which was launched in Feb earlier this year.
TFL is asking us to stop and think about how considerate we are as passengers. I can save you some time pondering, if you do any of these things - you're not.
To be honest, I'm not too sure how effective this campaign's going to be. I mean, if you're the kind of person who won't offer your seat to a pregnant lady, you must be pretty mean. Is a little cartoon character with a big smiley face and a t-shirt saying 'I will offer you my seat', really going to make you see the error of your ways? I think not.
Bring back tomato throwing that's what I say.
This clipping was doing the rounds in the office yesterday:
Cockney slang dictionary
Apples and pears = stairs
Dog and bone = phone
Joe Baxi = taxi?!
I'm not really up to date on my cockney slang, and it seems the nice people at directory enquiries aren't either. Joe Baxi, it's a cab innit?
Regular dictionary
Cab innit = cabinet
So that's what the caller got delivered at 10am the next day. Not a cab to Bristol Airport. But an office cabinet.
Just in case you're still confused:
You can't make this stuff up.
Read the full story in The Sun.
The last time I blogged it was March. Now it's April. Where is the time going?! Before you know it, it'll be crimbo again - although it has been a bit confusing what with the snow and it being officially British summer time and all. Let's get this global warming show on the road people.
A lot of things have happened since the last time I blogged, so it's time for a quick round up:
